Unloading apparatus for railway gondola cars and the like



July 30, 1957 R. L. coLsoN 2,801,014

- UNLOADING APPARATUS FOR RAILWAY GONDOLA CARS AND THE LIKE Filed Jan. 4, 1955 3 Sheets-Sheet l u) l x N y O\ m 1';

Q D l E INVENTOR ATTORNEYS Juny so, 1957 -me@ Jan. 4, 1955 R. L. COLSON UNLOADING APPARATUS FOR RAILWAY GONDOLA CARS AND THE LIKE 3 SheatsSheet 2 INVENTOR @520ML olsoz/ Y BY www www ATTORNEYS July 30, 957, R. L. coLsoN UNLQADING APPARATUS FOR RAILWAY GoNDoLA CARS AND THE LIKE 5 Sheets-Sheet 'o' Filed Jan. 4, 1955 Y INVENIOR Jail. bidon i MW ATTORNEYS UNLGADING APPARATUS FR RAILWAY GNDLA CARS AND THE LIKE Raymond L. Colson, Gulfport, Miss.

Application January 4, 1955, Serial No. 479,698

2 Claims. (Cl. 214-520) The present invention relates to apparatus for use in unloading open top containers such as railway gondola cars. More particularly, the invention relates to a conveyor system which can be mounted on an open top gondola car, which is readily movable longitudinally and transversely of the car and which is vertically adjustable relative to the bottom or oor of the car to thereby permit all or any desired portion of the contents of the car to be unloaded.

The apparatus includes a horizontal frame provided with supporting rollers for supporting that frame on the top edges of the side walls of the car. The horizontal frame is arranged to extend transversely of the car and is movable longitudinally of the car by means of the supporting rollers. The horizontal frame is provided with a horizontal conveyor, the discharge end of which projects beyond one side wall of the car. The horizontal frame also includes a pair of parallel horizontal rails which extend longitudinally of the horizontal frame. A wheeled carriage is supported on these rails and is thus movable transversely of the railway car. The carriage provides support for a vertical frame which is movable vertically relative to the carriage. The vertical frame is provided with a bucket conveyor, the upper discharge end of which is arranged to discharge onto the horizontal conveyor. This arrangement permits the lower end of the vertical conveyor to be moved in three dimensions to any desired position within the car. The vertical adjustability of the vertical conveyor permits the device to be used, if desired, to remove only the top layer of material from the car. The vertical adjustability of the Vertical conveyor also permits the apparatus to be used on railway cars having irregular bottoms, such as dump cars.

One of the primary objects of the invention is to provide apparatus for quickly Iand inexpensively unloading open top railway cars. The apparatus of the invention requires only one laborer for its operation and is capable of unloading material at a rate which would require several laborers using shovels.

Another object of the invention is to provide apparatus which is capable of unloading the top layer of material within a car without disturbing the material below that top layer. It frequently happens that the top layer of material within a car becomes wet and it is desirable to unload such top layer as promptly as possible without admixing the top layer with the dry material.

A further object of the invention is to provide apparatus for the foregoing purposes which is relatively inexpensive, which is light in weight and which, once positioned on a railway car, can be operated and maneuvered by one man without excessive eort.

Other objects and advantages of the invention are referred to in the following detailed description which has reference to the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Figure l is a side elevational view of the apparatus, showing the same mounted on the side walls of a railway gondola car;

vvarent ice Figure 2 is an end elevational view of the apparatus mounted on a railway car with portions of one side wall of the car being shown broken away;

Figure 3 is a sectional view taken generally in the direction of the arrows along the line 3--3 of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a sectional view taken in the direction of the arrows along the line 4 4 of Figure 3; and

Figure 5 is a sectional view taken in the direction of the arrows along the line 5-5 of Figure l but omitting the supporting structure for the motor of the horizontal conveyor.

A horizontal frame is designated generally by the reference numeral 6. The horizontal frame 6 includes longitudinal frame members 7 and 8 which are of a length to span the full width of any railway car C with which the apparatus is to be used and to project for a substantial distance beyond one side wall of the car C. Rigidly secured to frame members 7 and 8 and extending downwardly therefrom are parallel pairs of brackets 9. Each pair of brackets 9 is provided with a horizontally disposed supporting roll 10. The positioning of the brackets 9 and the horizontal length of the rollers lil are such that the rollers 10 Will engage and roll on the top edges of the side Walls of any conventional railway car with which the apparatus is adapted to be used. A vertically disposed shaft 11 is positioned on each end portion of the frame member 7 by means of a clamping member 12. Each vertically disposed shaft 11 has a guide roller 13 at its lower end for engagement with the inner surfaces of the side walls of the car. The shafts 11 and rollers 13 are adjustable longitudinally of the frame member 7 to enable the rollers 13 to engage the side walls of the car irrespective of the width of the car.

The frameimembers 7 and 8 form the longitudinal side members of a horizontal conveyor which is illustrated in the drawing as a belt conveyor but which may be of any other type. A conveyor roller 14 is journaled on a shaft`15 which extends between one end of the frame members 7 and 8. A second conveyor roller 16 is xed on a shaft 17 which extends between the opposite ends of the frame members 7 4and 8. A conveying belt 18 extends between the rollers 14 and 16 and the upper reach of this belt is adapted to convey material deposited thereon in the manner hereinafter described. T he upper reach of the belt 18 may be provided with convexing rolls 19 which are rotatably supported by brackets 20 secured to the frame members 7 and 8. The upper reach of the conveyor may also be provided with a generally concave plate member 21 which spans the distance between the frame members 7 and 8 along the mid-portion of the horizontal conveyor structure.

The roller 16 is driven by means of a pulley 22, a belt 23 and a pulley 24 mounted on the output shaft of a small internal combustion engine designated generally by the reference numeral 25. The internal combustion engine 25 is mounted on suitable upright brackets 26, and diagonal braces 27 are secured to the frame members 7 and 8. The engine mounting includes a pivot shaft 28 and notched members 29 which cooperate with bolts 30 to permit angular adjustment of the engine 25 relative to the horizontal conveyor. This feature of adjustability permits the engine 25 to operate in an upright position irrespective of the angle at which the horizontal conveyor may be disposed. The driving belt 23 is provided with any suitable belt-tensioning arrangement designated generally by the reference numeral 30 and which it is considered unnecessary to describe in detail. The lower reach ofthe conveyor belt 18 may be provided with a supporting roller 31 rotatably mounted in brackets 32 secured to the Vframe members 7 and 8.

The horizontal frame 6 Valso includes a pair of parallel rails 40 and 41 which extend in generally parallel relationship to the frame members 7 and 8. The rails 40 and 41 are joined at their ends by end frame members 42. The-rail 40 is detachably secured to frame member 8 byy means of a plurality of boltedbrackets 43. Ex? tending downwardly from adjacent each end portionfof the rails 40 and 41 are pairs of vertical brackets 44, in` the lower ends of which are journaled supporting rollers 45. The positioning of the brackets 44 and the length of ythe rollers 45 are suchrthat the rollersY will engage and roll along the upper edges ofthe side Walls of the railway car irrespective of slight variations in the width of the car: Vertically disposed rollers 46 are journaled on shafts 47 which areadjustably mounted by clamping members V4SV on the rail 41. The shafts 47 and rollers c 46 can thus be adjusted so that the rollers will engage the innerYV surfaces of the sidewalls of the railway car irrespective of the width of the car.

A carriage designated generally by the reference numeral 51 is designed to travel transversely of the car C along the rails 4t) and 41. The carriageV 51 isrprovided with flanged wheels 52, side members 53 and end members 54 and 55. A vertical frame designated generally by the reference numeral 56 extends through and is slid# veyors. The entire assembly can then be easily rolled longitudinally of the car to any desired position. The carriage 51 may be rolled along the rails 40 and 41 transversely of the car to any desired position. The crank 85 may then be turned to lower the bucket conveyor to any desired extent. If the upper layer of material within the car C is wet and it is desiredY to remove only that layer, the bucket conveyor will be lowered to an extent sucient Vto pick up only the wet material. The detent 87 will 'oe positioned in engagement with a tooth of the gear 83 to retain the vertical conveyor in the desired position of vertical adjustment. v'Ihe vertical bucket conveyor discharges onto the upper reach of the belt 18 and that belt conveys the material to the rightward end ofthe apparatus, as seen in Figure l, from which the material is discharged into a truck or to other facilities. It may be desired to empty the entire contents ofthe car C. In this event, the vertical conveyor can be'lowered to the botable vertically relative to the .carriage 51. The vertical i frame 56 includes upright frame members 57, 58,759 and 60.v The vertical frame 56 also includes a guide plate 61 which is rigidly secured to the frame members 57, 58, 59 and 60 and ,which is slidable in vertically disposed guide tom of the caras shown in Figure 2. The vertical conveyor should of course be so v lowered'while both engines and 7 lare running. -The entire apparatus can then be moved longitudinally from oneend of the Ycar to the other. Alternatively, the carriage 51 canbe moved laterallyrof the car while the horizontal conveyor remains stationary. lt`will be evident that by proper manipulation of the apparatus the entire contents ofthe car can bek emptied. It may sometimes Vbe advantageous toplace temporary llrails between adjacent ends of adjacent railway carsto channels 62 and 63 which are rigidly secured to the end Y walls 54 and 55, respectively, of the carriage 51. Journaled on a shaft 64 at the lower ends of the frame members 57, S8, 59 and 60 are a pair of sprockets 65. A shaft 66'is journaled at the upper end of the frame members 57, 58, 59 and 60 and has iixedthereto a pair of sprockets 67. The'sprockets'67 and the shaft 66 are` driven by means of a pulley 68, belts 69 and a pulley 70l fixed to the output shaft of a small internal combustion engine designated generally by the reference numeral 71. sprockets 65 and 67 carry a pair of Vconveyor chains 72 which are provided with conveyor buckets 73 of conventional construction. The vertical conveyor is rotated Vin a direction to cause the conveyor buckets 73 tordischarge onto an inclined chute 74 which in turn discharges onto Y vertical conveyor.

The

the upper reach of the -belt conveyor 18. The support for the internal combustion engineV 71 is provided by diverging members 75 which arerigidly secured to transverse bars 76 rigidly secured to the upper endof the glideY plate 61. Y Y

A shaft` 81 extends through and is journaledin the.V

end members S4 and 55 of the carriage 51. The shaft 81 also extends through elongated slots 82 in the frame members 59 and 60. A gear 83 is fixed to the shaft V81 and meshes with a toothed rack 84 whichl is rigidly fixed to the guide plate 61. A crank 85 can be removably placed onreither polygonal end ofthe shaft 81 for the purpose'of rotating the gear 83 to raise or lower the ver- Y tical frame 56. A control shaft 86k extends through and 1s journaled in the end'members 54 and 545 of the carriage, The mid-portion of the control shaft 86 cari-lesaV small detent 87 `which is positioned for engagement with the teeth of the gear 83. Each outer end of the shaft 86 is provided with a Vsmall-'handleV 88.1forV controlling engagementof the detent 87`With the gear 83.

The operation and manner of use ofthe apparatus can now be briefly described. The crank 85 should be rotated. to elevate the vertical conveyor relative to the carriage V51. The horizontal frame 6 is positioned onl the carC in such manner that the rollers 10 and 45rest on theupper edges of-the side wallscof4 the car. The vertically disposed rollers 13` and 46 are adjusted to engageethe inner surfaces Yof the side walls of the car. The internal combustion engines 25 and 71 are started, anddrive their respective confacilitate moving the apparatus from 'one car to another. Thev bolted brackets143 may be readily removed from the horizontalV frame members and the rail 4.0 to permit independentY use of either the horizontal conveyor orthe The specificationV describedand the drawingsv illustrate the presently Ypreferred form of'the invention.V It Willbe apparent, however, that various changes and modifications may be made without departingfrom the broader scope of the invention as defined by thefollowing claims.

What is claimed is; Y .1. A conveyor system for emptying open top containers such as railway cars comprising a horizontal frame, supporting rollers beneath each end `portion of said frame for supporting said horizontal frame on thevtopsof the side walls of the container whereby the horizontal frame is movable'longitudinally of the container, said supportingsecured to, said carriage and engaging said rails whereby4 said carriage is movable longitudinally of said horizontal frame, a pair of vertically disposed guide channelson said carriage, a vertical frame extending'through and movable vertically relative to said carriage, said vertical frame including a plurality of upright frame members and a guide plate positioned between and kfixed to ,said'upright frame members, said guide plate being vertically slidableV in said channels, a bucket .conveyor extending longitudinally of said vertical frame and arranged to discharge onto said horizontal conveyor, a toothed rack fixed to said guide plate and extending longitudinally. of .said vertical frame, a horizontal shaft rotatably mountedA on said carriage, a gear fixed on said shaft in toothed engagement with said rack, and means for rotating said gear to effect raising'and lowering of said vertical frame.

2. A conveyorsystem for, emptying open top containers such as. railway cars comprising a horizontal frame,

supporting rollers beneath each end portion of said frame for supporting said horizontal frame on theV tops of the side walls of the container whereby the horizontal frame is movable longitudinally of the container, a roller mounted on a Vertical shaft beneath each end portion of said frame for engagement with the inner surfaces of the side walls of the container, at least one of said vertical shafts being adjustable longitudinally of said frame, a horizontal conveyor extending longitudinally of said horizontal frame, said horizontal frame having a pair of parallel rails extending longitudinally thereof, a carriage, supporting wheels on said carriage and engaging said rails whereby said carriage is movable longitudinally of said horizontal frame, a pair of vertically disposed guide channels on said carriage, a vertical frame extending through and movable vertically relative to said carriage, said vertical frame including a plurality of upright frame members and a guide plate between and fixed to said upright frame members, said guide plate being vertically slidable in said guide channels, a bucket conveyor extending longitudinally of said vertical frame and arranged to discharge onto said horizontal conveyor, a toothed rack xed to and extending vertically along said guide plate, a horizontal shaft rotatably mounted on said carriage, a gear xe'd on said shaft in toothed engagement with said rack, and means for rotating said gear to effect raising and lowering of said vertical frame.

Clarke May 27, 1952 Schoonenwolf Mar. 24, 1953 

